Sony’s connected speakers take aim at Sonos, but come up short

When it comes to connected speakers and multi-room audio, Sonos is the clear leader in the clubhouse. Its devices are also typically more expensive than the competition. Sony, a name with a lot of home theater experience, is offering its own Sonos-like system with a collection of three speakers. The company’s “SRS” line was announced earlier this year, and while the trio also features the larger SRS-X88 and SRS-X99, I’ve spent the past few weeks with the entry-level model, the $300 SRS-X77. With Sonos being the go-to name for gear like this, Sony has quite the uphill climb. That said, it at least makes a valiant effort. Slideshow-324537

Before I get to the SRS-X77, let me get this out of the way: I’m a big fan of Sonos’ audio gear. I’ve used the Playbar and Sub in my living room and to play music and handle TV audio. I currently have two Play:1s in separate rooms to handle lullabies for my 15-month-old and audio while I work. It all looks good and sounds excellent, and Sonos is continually improving its devices through software updates. I don’t mean to gush, but I say all of this to explain how I judged the Sony SRS-X77. In my experience, Sonos offers the best options for multi-room audio and connected speakers, so any company that tries to do the same faces quite the challenge.

The SRS-X77 has a minimal design that I really like. Aside from the WiFi antenna that pops up around back (more on that in a second), it’s rather unassuming. That’s by no means a knock on the device; I’m just saying it blends in well on a shelf. It’s a similar aesthetic to what Sonos went for with its latest Play:1 colors, which are meant to complement other items you’re likely to own. Likewise, Sony’s speaker is a rectangle with no branding on the front. In fact, the only thing visible from head-on is the speaker grille that drapes that panel in silver. The same color continues on the sides with brushed aluminum, though the back is black.

All of the controls are situated up top on a glossy, black plastic that’s a magnet for fingerprints. In fact, I found myself reaching for a cloth to tidy up every time I used the touch controls. Speaking of which, there’s only one physical button on the top side for power. A tap of your finger allows you to adjust the volume, Bluetooth, WiFi and aux jack. Around back, from right to left, are the power connection, 3.5-mm aux input, Ethernet port and a USB socket, whose only purpose is to keep your smartphone juiced up while you’re streaming music. In addition, you’ll find WPS and reset buttons and a network on/off switch nearby. Up top there’s that WiFi antenna that pops out and rotates up for added reception. When in use, though, it takes away from the otherwise streamlined design.

To its credit, Sony’s SRS-X77 does offer something that Sonos doesn’t: Bluetooth. While Sonos connects to your home WiFi network to stream music, Sony’s speaker can employ both an internet connection and Bluetooth. This means that you can use the SRS-X77 as a computer speaker should the need arise. I found myself only using Bluetooth for that reason, or to play tracks when WiFi connectivity wasn’t an option. In terms of sound quality, both performed admirably, but using an internet connection generally sounded better, especially since I typically stayed within range of my router. The Sony speaker also works well with AirPlay, Google Cast and Spotify Connect, and has NFC for easy pairing. The SRS-X77 also features a rechargeable battery, so you can use it even when there isn’t a power outlet nearby.

While some may find the SRS-X77’s design more attractive than the Play:1, it’s the companion software where Sonos really shines. The Sonos controller app allows you to link all your streaming services and play locally stored music with ease, accessing it with a few taps. For the Sony SongPal app, each time you need to play or control music from Spotify, it boots you out to the streaming software. Unlike Sonos, the volume controls aren’t situated right on the main player screen either, so you have to swipe or tap more than once to make an adjustment. After getting used to having all of the controls in one spot, especially volume, I found this pretty inconvenient. With Spotify specifically, when you’re listening to a song, you have to tap the speaker’s name at the bottom of the screen to pull up the Spotify Connect list where the volume control lives. It’s either that or heading back into SongPal to adjust the level.

So, how does it sound? Quite good. In that regard, actually, I think the SRS-X77 manages to hold its own against the Play:1. There’s a good deal of bass, and while it helps bass-heavy songs like Big Grams’ “Drum Machine” shine, it’s never overpowering either. Mids and highs are well-represented and make for some generally well-rounded sound. The audio is clear, with the quality staying consistent even at high volumes. Whether it’s hip-hop, metal, bluegrass or the occasional podcast, the SRS-X77 handled everything I threw at it.

When listening on my porch in particular, I tended to prefer Sony to Sonos. It projects sound much better in such a wide-open space, so I didn’t have to crank it up too much to hear Punch Brothers while sitting around the fire pit. In terms of the overall quality, though, the Play:1 is the better speaker. There’s not a huge gap between the two, but the clarity you get with Sonos is hard to beat. It also handles bass notes a smidge better, too.

After spending a few weeks with Sony’s latest, I’m not ready to give up my Sonos setup. If you’re looking for alternatives to Sonos’ pricey gear, the SRS-X77, at $300, costs $100 more than the Play:1. For the sake of comparison, LG’s H-series Music Flow speakers start at $180, if you’re on a budget. I haven’t been able to test those gadgets, however, so I can’t vouch for them other than to say they support Google Cast and multi-room audio. When you consider the extra cost with the subpar software experience Sony offers, the scale tips in Sonos’ favor. In fact, if you’re willing to spend $300, throwing in another hundred can get you two Play:1s for a stereo setup or audio in multiple rooms of your house. That being said, this speaker from Sony is one of the first I’ve used that puts up a fight against Sonos. Perhaps future releases from the company and others will continue to close the gap, but for now, the champion hasn’t been dethroned.

Sony Xperia Z5 available at Carphone Warehouse for £550

The Sony Xperia Z5 has a lot going for it. It’s already been rated at the top of the charts for having the best smartphone camera in the industry, and the Premium model is the first smartphone to sport a gorgeous 4K display. And now, our UK readers can get their hands on it, as Carphone Warehouse has made the device available for its customers.

The SIM-free model will run you £550 ($854USD) and contract plans start at around £42 ($60USD) per month. Carphone Warehouse is offering it in all four colors–black, white, gold, and green. The white variant is actually an exclusive to Carphone Warehouse in the UK, at least for now.

Carphone Warehouse is actually the only retailer to have the device on sale in the UK, as all the others are just listing the Xperia Z5 as up for pre-order. Availability through other retailers are said to start as early as next week.

As a quick refresher, here’s a rundown on the specs the Sony Xperia Z5 is sporting:

• Snapdragon 810 chipset
• 5.2-inch Full HD display
• 3GB of RAM
• 32GB of internal storage with microSD support
• 23-megapixel rear sensor
• 4K stills, 4K video
• 5.1-megapixel front camera
• Fingerprint Sensor
• 2,900mAh battery
• Android 5.1.1

Anyone plan on picking one up?

source: Carphone Warehouse

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Sony answers the important questions about the 4K display on the Xperia Z5 Premium

Sony’s Xperia Z5 Premium features an extremely high resolution 4k display, which is the highest we’ve seen on a smartphone yet. If you’re a pixel junkie, it’s gonna be hard to top Sony’s flagship in that regard, but there are some other concerns about such a high resolution screen on a mobile device.

Fortunately the company has taken to their blog to answer some of the biggest questions, including about battery life and resolution of apps and video.

For starters, any 4k content that you’re watching, whether that’s been shot from your camera or from Netflix or another service, will completely utilize that 4k resolution. However, on the home screen and in apps, the Z5 lowers the rendered resolution to just 1080p for a few reasons. Performance is a big concern, as well as battery life, and having to push 4k resolution all the time would absolutely murder battery life on a smartphone.

Sony didn’t pull any punches with their Z5 lineup, offering the first ever mobile 4k screen, a massive battery, and insane specs to back everything up. Hopefully it turns the company’s smartphone market troubles around.

source: Sony

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Sony starts pushing out the Android 5.1 update for the M2 Dual

Sony’s pretty busy on the update front today. Having just started rolling out the much-anticipated Lollipop update to the Xperia Z1 and Z Ultra, it’s now pushing out an identical update to the M2 Dual in the United States. This update transports the latest build of the operating system to the handset, in addition to a patch for the Stagefright vulnerability.

Hit the break for the full changelog.

• Android Lollipop 5.1
• Call Drop Improvements
• Data Performance Improvements
• Battery Life Enhancements
• Temperature Management
• Camera Enhancements

If you live in the United States and have not yet received the OTA update, you can head into “Settings,” then “About Device,” and select “Check for Updates” to manually scan for the upgrade. Alternatively, you can wait until you receive a push notification informing you that an update is ready for your handset.

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Sony is now rolling out the Lollipop OTA for the Xperia Z1 and Z Ultra in the US

If you’re the proud owner of either an Xperia Z1 or Z Ultra and reside in the United States, you may want to listen up, as Sony has just started rolling out the long-awaited Android 5.1. update for both handsets in the region. In terms of added functionality, the upgrade brings the latest build of the open-source operating system, as well as a multitude of bug fixes, stability improvements and speed optimizations, including a fix for the ever-so-scary Stagefright vulnerability.

All the changes you’d expect to find in the Lollipop software are bundled into this upgrade, which has build number 14.6.A.0.368 attached, such as support for multiple accounts, improved notifications, stronger 256-bit encryption, a smoother multitasking experience, refined unlocking methods, streamlined performance, increased battery life and, of course,  Material Design.

As is the norm, the update is being rolled out in stages, but if you don’t feel like waiting for a notification confirming that it’s ready for your device to hit your unit, you could always search for the upgrade manually. To do so, open the Settings app, scroll to the bottom and tap on “About Device”, hit “System Updates”, then select “Check for updates”.

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Sony Xperia Z5 has the best mobile camera ever

DxOMark has reviewed all the latest smartphones out today and has said the Sony Xperia Z5 has the greatest camera of them all. This bumps the previous best smartphone camera ever, the Samsung Galaxy S6/S6 Edge, down to the second spot.

The Xperia Z5 scored an 87 while the S6 Edge scored an 86. These results are extremely close and quite amazing. I own the S6 Edge and the camera blows me away every time I use it, so to hear the Z5 camera is just as good is very impressive.

DxOMark gave the Z5 camera such high scores because of it’s fast autofocus, good exposure, accurate white balance and more. It actually tied the S6 Edge in ability to take great photos, but just pulled ahead when it came to videos. Sony’s impressive SteadyShot technology with Intelligent Active mode really helped the Z5 beat the S6 Edge when it came to videos and let it walk away with the title of best mobile camera ever.

Congratulations to Sony and their Z5, but at the end of the day, we are all winners. Just look at the graph picture to see all the amazing Android cameras that beat out Apple’s iPhone 6S/6S Plus. I guess that new 12MP camera isn’t as good as they claimed.

Source: DxOMark
Via: Xperia Blog

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